Gadchev said the city, which is located west of the Donbass region and about 70 miles east of the city of Kharkiv, is “constantly under terror” and is under “constant rocket attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” Ukrainian officials declined to comment on the offensive in northeastern Ukraine, but footage geo-located by CNN showed Ukrainian forces in the town of Volokhiv-Yar on Wednesday, about 50 kilometers from Kupiansk, and also on the outskirts of Balakliya to the south. Russian officials have also remained silent on developments in the Kharkiv region. The operation appeared to be designed to catch Russian forces off guard, following the escalating conflict in southern Ukraine near the city of Kherson. In recent weeks, Russia has moved some forces south to bolster its ranks ahead of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson region, according to Ukrainian officials and footage of equipment moving through Crimea seen by CNN. While the southern front looks set to be one of the main theaters of conflict as the war heads into winter, a new Ukrainian push into Kharkiv could stretch Russian forces in two different locations. Kyiv “probably used tactical surprise to advance at least 20 kilometers into Russian-controlled territory in eastern Kharkiv Oblast on September 7, recapturing around 400 square kilometers of territory,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an analytical group based in Washington. , reported its daily report on the conflict on Wednesday. “Ukrainian forces likely took judicious advantage of the redeployment of Russian troops, equipment and overall operational focus to launch local counterattacks towards critical points in Kharkiv Oblast,” ISW said. In recent weeks, Russia has moved some forces south to bolster its ranks ahead of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson region, according to Ukrainian officials and footage of equipment moving through Crimea seen by CNN. Russian military bloggers and analysts have reported that the push by Ukrainian forces towards Kupiansk aims to cut supply lines to the strategic city of Izium in the south. In his late-night speech on Wednesday, Zelensky was tight-lipped about whether specific settlements had been recaptured by Ukrainian forces. But the President thanked three brigades that participated in operations to recapture Russian territory there. “This week we have good news from the Kharkiv region,” Zelensky said. “Probably, you all have already seen reports about the activity of Ukrainian defenders. And, I think, every citizen feels proud of our soldiers. It is a well-deserved pride.” He also thanked units stationed in southern Ukraine for what he called “extremely successful strikes” on occupying Russian forces, while a simultaneous counter-offensive was launched in the north. “The more difficult it is for the invaders, the more losses they have, the better the positions of our defenders in Donbas will be, the more reliable the defense of Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and the cities of the Dnipropetrovsk region will be, the faster they will be able to liberate the Azov region and the entire south,” he said. Ukraine continues to press with its southern counterattack. Ukrainian forces are making gains in the south, with an ambitious goal of retaking most of the Russian-held Kherson region by the end of the year, senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials told CNN on Wednesday. The past week has seen the most ambitious ground offensive by the Ukrainians since the start of the invasion, following sustained attacks on command posts, ammunition depots and fuel stocks far behind front lines, according to geo-located video and satellite images. The US has noted that Ukrainian forces have had some success attacking Russian supply lines, with the intention of cutting off and isolating Russian troops currently deployed west of the Dnipro River, according to a senior US official. CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva, Mick Krever, Jim Sciutto and Tim Lister contributed to this report
